Vise



VISE

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ATTORNEYS July 28, 19 w. a. ALEXANDER VISE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed March 10, '1958 INVENTOR.

WALTER B.ALEXANDER ATTORNEYS United States Patent 2,896,515 VIS'E Walter: Alexander, Dayton, Ohio, assignor to Acme P'egisliion Products, Inc., Dayton, Ohio, a corporation Application March 10, 1958, Serial No. 720,368 4 Claims. (CI. 90-60) This invention relates to Vises, and more particularly to a hydraulically actuated vise attachable to the bed of a machine tool to hold work pieces in fixed position for machining operations.-

Pr principal object of the present invention is to provide a v1se having a fixed jaw and an adjustable clamping aw which can be moved a comparatively short distance in a clamping stroke by hydraulic actuating apparatus carried on the bed of the machine.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vise having an adjustable clamping jaw connected to a hydraul1c motor mounted for sliding movement on a carrier se cured to the work bed of the machine.

An additional object of this invention is to provide a v1se having indexing structure providing for positive locking of the adjustable clamping jaw and carrier at different distances from the fixed jaw.

It is also an object of this invention to provide a hydraulically operated vise having jaw structures in-- eluding jaw plates which are urged downwardly when clamping a work article in fixed position therebetween.

Other objects and advantages will be apparent from the following description, the accompanying drawings and the appended claims.

In the drawings-- Fig. 1 is a top plan view of a vise according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the vise shown in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 3-3 of Fig. l;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary vertical section taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary vertical section taken along the line 55 of Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary horizontal section taken partly on the line 6--6 of Fig. 4 and partly on the line 6--6a of Fig. 4.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, which illustrate a preferred embodiment ofthe invention, the principal components of the apparatus include an elongated generally rectangular base member 10 which includes a stationary vise jaw 11, a carriage 12 mounted on base 10, a movable second jaw 13 supported on base 10 between carriage 12 and stationary jaw 11, and pressure creating means 15, shown as hydraulic motors, which are mounted on carriage 12 to operate jaw 13.

Referring first to the construction of base 10, a pair of centering or guide pieces are attached to the underside of the generally rectangular base at opposite ends thereof by screws 21 for engagement in a keyway on the bed of a machine tool such as a milling machine, grinder or the like. Recesses 22 are locatedat appropriate intervals around base 10 to-receive tie down bolts (not shown) for rigid attachment of base 10 to the bed of the machine, since any shift in the operating position of the vise during operationcould etfect the quality ofthe final product and perhaps result in costly damage to either the tool or the vise.

nally extending ice Stationary jaw 11 constitutes an integral part of base member 10 and extends upwardly from one end thereof to receive a jaw plate 25. Plate 25 seats on and has a skirt portion 26 surrounding a generally horizontal ledge or bottom surface 27 and a side surface 28 on jaw 11 which slopes toward movable jaw 13, the bottom and side surfaces cooperating to form a suitable recess for receiving the jaw plate 25. Longitudinally extending bolts 29 are used to secure the plate 25 against surface 28, and are of somewhat smaller diameter than the holes through which they extend in order that limited generally vertical movement of plate 25 can take place. Suitable biasing springs 36 are positioned, as shown, between washers on bolts 29 and jaw 11 to urge plate 25 tightly against side wall 27. Additional bolts 31 extend vertically through base 10 and a part of jaw 11 to engage plate 25 from beneath, and these bolts are of such length as to permit slight vertical movement of the plate away from surface 27. Springs 32 are disposed between bottom surface 27 and the plate 25 to urge it normally toward a position away from surface 27. In this connection, skirt 26 serves the function of acting as an additional guide for plate 25 during any vertical movement which takes place.

The second or movable jaw member 13 is longitudinally adjustable with respect to the first jaw member 11 by virtue of its mounting on the base 10. The jaw member 13 has a somewhat elongated gib 35 bolted to each side thereof which extends downwardly along the side wall of base member 10 and terminates in an inwardly directed flange 36 engaging the longitudinally extending groove 37 in the side of base member 10. Thus the flanges 36 of the gibs 35 cooperate with grooves 37 to form a mounting arrangement enabling longitudinal movement of the jaw member 13 on base member 10 while insuring that the jaw remains securely attached to the base.

The jaw 13 includes a generally horizontal bottom surface 40 and a side surface 41, corresponding to surfaces 27 and 28 respectively, surface 41 sloping in approximately the same manner as surface 28 so that the longitudinal distance between the side walls increases downwardly from the upper end of the jaw members 11 and 13. A jaw plate 42 is seated within the recess formed by the walls and is held in position by longitudibolts 43, which are biased by springs 44, and bolts 45 which extend vertically into plate 42 behind skirt portion 46. Springs 47 are located between surface 40 and jaw plate 42 to urge it outwardly in the same manner as springs 32 urge plate 25 outwardly from surface 27. Since the side surfaces 28 and 41 converge upwardly, the jaw plates 25 and 42 will be relatlvely closer together when the springs 32 and 46 are extended than they will be when the plates are moved downwardly toward bottom surfaces 2'7 and 40 and the springs 32 and 47 are compressed.

The jaw 13 is movable on the base 10 with the carriage 12 and also with respect thereto to the extent permitted by a lost motion connection therebetween. Referring particularly to Figs. 1 and 4, the base portion of the aw 13 projects rearwardly under the overhangmgforward portion of a T-shaped member 50 which forms a part of the carriage 12. This overhung portion of jaw 13 1s provided with a pair of longitudinally extending slots wh ch receive pins 56 depending from the overhang Pomon of the member 50, and the jaw 13 is therefore capable of t with respect to the member 50 to the extent of the relative movement of the pins 56 in slots 55.

The Tshaped member 50 is shown as an integral part of a generally rectangular plate 58 which forms the base of the carriage 12. T his plate 5'3 and the other parts of the carriage 12 are mounted for guided movement on the base 10 by means of gibs 60 which are attached to each side of the plate 5?; by screws 61 and have inturned flanges 62 corresponding to the flanges 36 of gibs 35. The flanges 62 ride in the longitudinally extending grooves 37, and the amount of rearward travel of carriage 12 and jaw 13 away from jaw 11 is determined by the blocking plates 63 which are mounted on the rear end of base by the screws 64 to close the rear ends of both grooves 37 and thereby to prevent the gibs from sliding completely off the base 10.

During normal operation of the vise, the carriage 12 should be fixed to base 10 in order that jaw 13 can be moved toward jaw 11 under the operating force created by motors 15, and simply constructed and easily operated indexing means are provided for adjustably locking carriage 12 to base 10. Referring to Figs. 2 and 3, a plate 65 is recessed within and secured to base 10. A series of laterally extending grooves 66 in the upper surface of plate 65 receive a complementary edge of a locking plate 67 which is mounted for vertical movement within an appropriately formed slotted recess 68 in T-shaped member 50. The plate 67, as most clearly shown in Fig. 3, is operated by an actuating plate 70 which is pivoted on a pin 71 set in the member 50, and the plate 70 operates in a slot 72 in the member 50. A knob or finger 73 on the front end of plate 70 engages within the locking plate 67. The plate 70 is moved to its locking position shown in Fig. 3 by a handle 75 which is pivoted on a pin 74 in brackets 76 mounted on member 50, and handle 75 and includes a cam 7'7 for engaging the upper edge of plate 70 to force the plate 67 into one of the grooves 66. When the handle 75 is raised 90 from its position shown in Fig. 3, the plate 70 is raised to release position of the locking plate 67 by means of a rod 78 which extends through the plate 70 and through inclined slots 79 in the member 50 and is biased upwardly by a pair of springs 80 in cup-like retainer 81 mounted on the upper surface of plate 58 as shown in Figs. 1 and 5;

The clamping action of the jaw 13 is effected by the hydraulic motors 15, which are also mounted on the carriage 12 for movement toward and away from the fixed jaw member 11, and they operate to move the jaw 13 with respect to the T-member 50 to the extent permitted by the slots 55 as described. As shown in Fig. 1, the hydraulic motors 15 each comprise a double acting cylinder 85 and piston 86, the cylinders 85 being connected at their rearward ends to the carriage 12 by vertically extending pins 87. These pins 87 extend between the plate 58 and a generally horizontal strap 88 which is secured at its forward end by screws 89 to the upper surface of the T-member 50 so that the rearward ends of cylinders 85 are fixed on the carriage 12 but can pivot thereon. The hydraulic system for operating the cylinders 85 is shown diagrammatically in Fig. 1 as including a conventional four-way valve 90 for selectively connecting either end of the cylinders to the supply pressure from the line 91 and simultaneously connecting the other ends of the cylinders to an exhaust line 92.

The pressure from the cylinders 85 is transmitted to the aw 13 by a pair of cams 99 pivotally mounted within recesses 100 on opposite sides of the T-member 50 by pivot pins 101. As shown in Fig. 1, each cam 99 includes a generally rearwardly extending bifurcated arm 102 which receives a connecting link 103 on the outer end of the adjacent piston rod 104. Each of the cams 99 includes a spiral operating surface 105 which engages the rearward surface of a Wear pad mounted on the back face of the jaw 13, and the arrangement is such that when pressure is applied to the rearward ends of the cylinders 85, the resulting stroke of the piston rods 104 will pivot the cams 99 and thereby cause their spiral surfaces 105 to urge the jaw 13 forwardly. Also, as shown m Fig. 1, the effective lever arm of the cam arms 102 is at a maximum as the cams approach the end of then strokes to assure application of its clamping pressure with maximum efficiency. '7 iv In operation, a workpiece such as indicated at 111 in Fig. 2 is placed between the jaws while the carriage 12 is retracted and the handle 75 is in its unlocking. position. The carriage is then moved forward manually until the jaw plate 42 engages the workpiece, and the handle 75 is moved to its locking position to engage the locking plate 67 in the nearest groove 66. It may be necessary at this point to pull the carriage 12 rearwardly to a small extent until this locking is effected. The valve 90 is then shifted to its position supplying pressure to the rearward ends of the cylinders 85, and the resulting movement of the piston rods 104 will pivot the cams 99 and thereby transmit the hydraulic clamping pressure to the jaw 13 to the full available extent.

The operation of this vise is therefore quick and simple, and at the same time it provides as high operating pressure as desired, with pressures of the order of 400 pounds per square inch having been used satisfactorily. In this connection, it should'be noted that there is a definite correlation between the stroke of the cams, the effective length of the slots 55, and the spacing between the grooves 66. Thus the stroke of the cams' should be slightly less than the maximum available movement of jaw 13 with respect to the T-member 50, and also the stroke of the cams should be sufficiently greater than the spacing between the teeth 66 to assure that the carriage can be locked in suificiently close relation to the fixed jaw 11 to obtain the desired hydraulic clamping pressure. For example, satisfactory results have been obtained with the cams having a total throw of .60 inch in combination with slots 55 providing a total of .625 inch movement of the jaw 13 and a spacing of .50 inch between adjacent grooves 66.

The biased mountings of the jaw plates 25 and 42 in cooperation with the inclined jaw surfaces 28 and 41 also contributeto the operation of the vise of the invention by providing a slight downward pull on the work,- piece as the parts approach their final gripping positions. Thus the springs 32 and 47 normally support the plates 25 and 42 in raised position, but under the full clamping pressure, the inclined surfaces 23 and 41 act in camming relation with the complementary surfaces of the plates 25 and 42 to introduce a downward force on the plates and thereby to assure maximum efficiency of clamping action on the workpiece.

When the work operation has been completed, it is merely'necessary to reverse the position of the valve 90, after which the handle 75 can be released and the carriage 12 moved away to whatever extent desired. On the other hand, if similar work operations are to be performed on a number of substantially identical pieces, the carriage can be left in position and the clamping and releasing action carried out solely by the hydraulic system. At the same time it can be seen that the construction of the invention provides a wide range of operating positions for the vise while at the same time assuring the same high clamping pressure in all such positions.

While the form of apparatus herein described con stitutes a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to this precise form of apparatus, and that changes may be made therein without departing from the scope of the invention which is defined in the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A vise for clamping a workpiece in fixed position comprising, a stationary base, a first fixed jaw member extending outwardly from said base, a carriage slidably mounted on said base, indexing means for fixing said carriage rigidly in adjusted position on said base, a second jaw member slidably mounted on said stationary base between said first jaw and said carriage for reciprocating movement with respect to said first jaw member, means forming a lost-motion connection between said carriage and said second jaw member providing'for limited clamping movement of said second jaw with respect to said G carriage when said carriage is fixed to said base by said indexing means, a pair of laterally spaced cams each having a working face for contact with said second jaw mounted on said carriage for movement about a vertical pivot axis spaced from and adjacent said second jaw member, a pair of hydraulic motors having cylinders pivotally mounted on said carriage and diverging at equal angles from the center line of said base toward said second jaw member and having pistons reciprocally received therein, means for connecting each of said hydraulic motors to a common source of hydraulic operating fluid for the application of equal hydraulic fluid pressure thereto, and means connecting each of said cams to one of said pistons for pivotal movement of said cams in response to actuation of said pistons to exert clamping force against said second jaw urging it toward said first jaw and holding the workpiece firmly in fixed position.

2. A vise for clamping the workpiece in fixed position comprising, a stationary base, a fixed first jaw member extending outwardly from said base, a carriage slidably mounted on said base, indexing means associated with said carriage and said base for fixing said carriage rigidly in adjusted position on said base, a second jaw member slidably mounted on said stationary base between said first jaw and said carriage for reciprocating movement with respect to said first jaw member, means forming a lost-motion connection between said carriage and said second jaw member providing for limited gripping movement of said second jaw with respect to said carriage when said carriage is fixed to said base by said indexing means, a pair of laterally spaced cams each having a working face for contact with said second jaw mounted on said carriage for movement about a vertical pivot axis spaced from an adjacent said second jaw member, an

operating arm extending generally rearwardly from each of said cam working faces, a pair of double-acting hydraulic motors having cylinders pivotally mounted on said carriage for operating said cams and having pistons.

reciprocally received therein for extension and withdrawal upon the application of fluid pressure thereto, means connecting each of said operator arms to one of said pistons to pivot said cams in response to the extension of said pistons to apply closing force against said movable jaw member and in response to the withdrawal of said pistons to relieve said force, and means for connecting said motors to a common source of fluid pressure including hydraulic control means selectively operable to extend and withdraw said pistons.

3. A visa for clamping a workpiece in fixed position comprising an elongated base having a fixed jaw at one end and a carriage bed extending from said fixed jaw along the center line thereof, a carriage slidably received on said bed, means for fixing said carriage at desired positions along said bed, a movable jaw slidably received on said bed between said fixed jaw and said carriage, a pair of jaw actuating cams rotatably mounted on substantially vertical axes on said carriage in equally spaced relation on either side of said center line and operable upon rotation to apply force on said movable jaw, a pair of hydraulic piston motors having cylinders pivotally mounted on said carriage symmetrical to said center line, and means connecting each of said cams to one of the pistons of said motors for rotational movement of said cams in response to the actuation of said motors to apply substantially equal clamping forces against the movable jaw at substantially equal distances on either side of said center line.

4. A vise for clamping a workpiece in fixed position comprising an elongated base having a first jaw fixed at one end thereof and a carriage bed extending from said fixed jaw substantially along the center line thereof, a carriage slidably mounted on said bed, means for fixing said carriage at desired positions along said bed, a second jaw movably received between said first jaw and said carriage, a pair of jaw actuating cams rotatably mounted on said carriage in substantially equally spaced relation on either side of said center line and operable upon rotation thereof to apply force to said second jaw to move said second jaw toward said first jaw, a pair of hydraulic piston motors pivotally mounted on said carriage and having an operative element connected to cause the rotation of said cams upon application of hydraulic fluid pressure thereto, and means for connecting said motors to a common source of hydraulic fluid pressure for the substantially equal application of pressure thereto.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 381,890 Taylor Apr. 24, 1888 545,895 Jordan Sept. 10, 1895 1,186,671 McKenzie June 13, 1916 2,631,483 Swain Mar. 17, 1953 FOREIGN PATENTS 76,230 Switzerland .Apr. 16, 1918 132,378 Switzerland June 17, 1929 1,004,903 France Apr. 4, 1952 

